Kent State University
University of Akron
Golden Flashes Back on Road Tuesday for Rivalry Game Against Akron on TWCS
2/9/2015 1:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes ESPN3 Live Stats Golden Flashes Radio
The Mid-American Conference's premier men's basketball rivalry returns to the spotlight Tuesday night at James A. Rhodes Arena when Kent State and Akron meet in a 7 p.m. contest on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.
Kent State and Akron enter the matchup with identical 16-7 overall and 7-3 conference records and are part of a four-way tie for first place in the overall MAC standings. In addition to moving a game ahead in the standings, the winner of Tuesday's game will also earn a half-point towards the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge. The teams split the season series a year ago with the home team earning victory in both games.
The Flashes are one of the nation's top teams at defending the three-point line, while the Zips are one of the nation's top three-point shooting teams. Kent State has allowed the ninth-fewest three-point field goals in the country (101) this season and has limited opponents to just 30.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Flashes have not allowed more than eight three-pointers in a game. Akron has made at least eight trifectas in 19 of 22 games. The Zips ranks eighth in the country with 9.4 three-point field goals per game and are shooting 35.5 percent from deep.
Stingy defense has been responsible for the Flashes matching their overall and conference win totals from a year ago with a month remaining in the season. Kent State is allowing just 60.9 points per game, which ranks 56th in the country and holding opponents to 41.0 percent shooting overall. Only eight teams have managed to score more than 61 points and the Flashes are undefeated when holding opponents under 66 points.
Seniors Devareaux Manley, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson provide the Flashes with one of the most experienced and talented backcourts in the MAC. Manley (12.5 ppg) is an elite shooter who is 15th in the country in 3-pointers per game (3.13) and 33rd in 3-point percentage (.416). Brewer (10.7 ppg), who has accepted his sixth man role, scored the 1,000th point of his Kent State career on Wednesday. Jackson (10.0 ppg) has moved into the starting point guard role and ranks 20th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.92) and is second in the MAC in steals per game (2.0). The trio has made 132 three-point field goals.
Juniors Chris Ortiz (6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and Khaliq Spicer (5.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) have solidified spots in the starting lineup. Ortiz is averaging 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in conference play and is coming off a 16-point performance in which he scored the game-winner in the final on Saturday vs. Miami. Spicer has emerged as a rim protector and is averaging 2.1 blocks per game in league play.
The Flashes have received increased production from junior Gary Akbar and sophomore Marquiez Lawrence over the past two games. Akbar scored a career-high seven points at Western Michigan and Lawrence hauled in a career-high 10 rebounds vs. Miami.
Scouting Akron
Akron (16-7, 7-3) will be playing its second straight game against a team that is tied with it for first place in the MAC. The Zips held on for a 75-72 victory over Buffalo on Saturday night for their eighth consecutive home victory. Head coach Keith Dambrot's team is 12-1 at James A. Rhodes Arena this season.
The Zips average 70.0 points per game, which is fifth in MAC, but only one player is among the top 30 scorers in the conference. Akron has several players capable of big scoring nights, as seven Zips average at least five points per game and 11 have scored in double-digits at least once. During the conference season, 11 players have averaged 12 or more minutes per game.
Akron is among the nation's most dangerous three-point shooting teams. The Zips average 9.4 three-pointers per game, which accounts for 40.2 percent of their points. Both of those rank among the top 10 nationally. Wing Jake Kretzer is the team's top threat with 38 three-pointers on 40.9 percent shooting. Six different Zips have made at least 25 three-pointers on the season.
Center Pat Forsythe leads the Zips in scoring (10.6 ppg), rebounding (5.4 rpg) and shotblocking (1.6 bpg) while shooting a MAC-best 56.7 percent from the field. Forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. starts next to Forsythe and adds 8.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Guards Deji Ibitayo (9.9 ppg) and Noah Robotham (9.7 ppg, 3.2 apg) are the leaders of the backcourt.
Quick Flashes
• Senior Kris Brewer surpassed the 1,000-point milestone Wednesday night vs. Western Michigan. Brewer is currently tied with former All-American Al Fisher for 29th on Kent State's scoring list.
• Kent State made a season-high 13 three-point field goals last Wednesday vs. Western Michigan. Senior Devareaux Manley shot 6-for-10 while redshirt senior Derek Jackson shot 5-for-10 from the three-point line.
• Kent State has allowed the 9th-fewest three-point field goals in the nation (101) this season.
• The Flashes are 10-0 when holding opponents to less than 25 percent shooting from the three-point line.
• Head coach Rob Senderoff moved into a tie for fifth on Kent State's all-time wins list (74) with Saturday's 61-60 win over Miami.
• The Golden Flashes are outscoring opponents by an average score of 33.1-30.8 in the second half.
• Kent State is getting 20.0 points per game from its bench compared to just 13.7 points per game for its opponents' bench.
• Kent State has held opponents to 65 points or fewer in all 16 games it has won this season.
• Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall, a transfer from Hofstra, has scored in double-figures in 18 games this season. Hall became the first player to score in double-figures in his first eight games in a Kent State uniform since Jay Peters, who scored in double-figures in the first 12 games of the 1986-87 season.
• Hall a transfer from Hofstra, was named Preseason MAC Newcomer of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
• Senior guard Kris Brewer was selected by a MAC Media Panel to the five-player Preseason All-MAC East Team. Brewer was an All-MAC honorable mention selection last season.
Series History
• Kent State leads the all-time series vs. Akron, 71-68.
• The series dates back to the 1915-16 season and a 37-16 Akron victory in Kent.
• The first team to score 60 points in the rivalry has won 31 of the last 34 games in the series. Neither team hit that mark in the 2013-14 regular season finale, a 58-54 Akron win.
• The last six matchups have all been decided by four points or fewer.
• Homecourt advantage has been huge in the rivalry with the home team owning an 85-47 record all-time.
PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge
• The 2014-15 academic year marks the fourth installment of the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge between rivals Kent State and Akron. Kent State has won the competition in each of its first two years of existence.
• The winner of Saturday's game will earn a half-point for its school in this year's Wagon Wheel Challenge.
• Kent State currently holds an early 4.0-1.5 lead in the Wagon Wheel Challenge standings.• The Golden Flashes earned points following a wins by football, women's cross country and women's soccer and a season sweep by volleyball.
TV / Radio
Michael Reghi and Dave Bacon will be on the call on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. The game will also be streamed on ESPN3, WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app on mobile devices.
As usual, fans can listen to the game on 640 AM WHLO and the Golden Flashes Radio iHeartRadio channel. Ty Linder and David Carducci will be joined by special guest Trevor Huffman to bring you the action.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes will conclude back-to-back televised road games Friday night at Toledo on ESPNU.
